


don't forget me when i come crying to heaven's door

by sourcherrycordial



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence, Swearing, Theft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-18 22:03:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14861103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sourcherrycordial/pseuds/sourcherrycordial
Summary: The Guardians of the Galaxy are tasked with aiding two runaways who flee their planet in the midst of a civil war, sparked by an interloping warlord. They meet Viona, a strong-minded and softhearted telekinetic, and Remy, a rough-around-the-edges shapeshifter with a noticeable soft spot.





	1. na na na (na na na) - my chemical romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Viona and Remy, who seem to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when they cross paths with the Guardians and snatch one of Rocket's most prized possessions.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” Murmured Remy.

“What, are they using it? Half this food is already close to spoiled.” Replied Viona. “See? Look, today is… uh… some day, and I just know it’s like two days before this whole palette of root vegetables spoils.”

Remy sighed, exasperated. “Fine, but we just better get out of here quick.”

“I’ll be quick, I’ll be quick.” Viona waved him off. “Take a look out the window and just make sure nobody’s coming.” They shoved the vacuum sealed pack into Remy’s backpack and slid half a shelf of containers of water into it also.

Remy looked out the front window of the oddly shaped vessel. There were five seats with controls. Definitely unlike many of the crafts who landed on this mining planet. He was suddenly a lot more anxious to get out as quickly as they could. He tried to peer out the front window and saw a group of five walking toward it. He dashed back to Viona before they could spot him.

* * *

 

“I’m telling you, you need to give that guy’s hand back.” Urged Peter.

“And I told you, I won it fair and square.” Retorted Rocket. “The guy’s horrible at poker. That ain’t my fault.”

“I am Groot.” Replied Groot, slowly keeping up with Rocket carrying an abnormally large metal, cybernetic hand.

“See? Even Groot thinks so. You don’t trade in three cards in a flush just because you hope you’ll get higher ones. It’s just common sense.”

Gamora went to respond, but was distracted by the sudden movement from inside the ship. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Peter asked, looking through the front windshield. “I don’t see anything.”

“I just saw someone run from the front window.” She replied. “I think someone’s on our ship.”

“Maybe it’s Mantis, she bounced early, didn’t she?” Rocket asked, shoving the hand into a hole in the opening of his backpack.

“No, I am right here.” Mantis replied, raising a hand. “I obtained more Cheergus root to replace what Rocket had eaten during his binge in the ship’s refrigerator last night.”

“You can’t prove I ate that!” Refuted Rocket.

“I watched you do it.” Drax said matter-of-factly.

“No you didn’t, you weren’t even awake.”

“Yes, I was. I was standing so still that you didn’t even see me. Watch, I am doing it now.” Drax stood motionless while the others watched. “See? I am invisible.” He laughed.

Gamora turned to address Peter again when she saw two figures carrying a backpack and a large metallic package with them. “There!”

The two looked back to see who addressed them, and then started running for the exit of the marketplace.

* * *

 

“I told you we shouldn’t have done this!” Remy shouted.

“What else were we going to do? We have no money!” Viona clutched the metal pack close to them.

Remy gave a nod to the side. “Yeah! That’s a valid point!” They hoped their running was enough to at least get to their small ship.

The five started to chase the duo before doubling back and entering the ship to do the chasing instead. Peter assessed what had been taken. He hoped that, for the thieves’ sake, it was nothing of importance.

* * *

 

“What did they take?” Gamora asked, getting into the center control console and preparing to take off.

“Just…” Peter crouched down to see ready-to-spoil food and some water taken, but noted nothing else had been touched. “Just food?”

“Food?” Gamora asked. “That’s it?”

“They took my plasma gun!” Rocket shouted. “And a can of fuel!” He hopped into his control console and started to power up the ship. “We’re goin after ‘em!”

Peter thought about it for a moment. Why, of all the valuable items on the Milano, would they only steal barely edible food, one weapon, and a single can of fuel? “Alright,” he acquiesced, “but on foot.”

“What? We’ll never catch them!” Rocket said, angrily.

“Just trust me.” Peter tapped the skin behind his ear, his helmet manifesting from the device positioned right behind his right ear.

* * *

 

Viona and Remy hid behind a building in an alleyway where they were sure nobody could see them.

“Did we lose them?” Viona asked.

Remy peeked out from behind the corner. “I think so. I don’t see any tree guys or scary green ladies.”

Viona gave a halfhearted chuckle. They cradled the metal compartment in their arms with a tender hand. Hopefully, when they found somewhere to settle down, they wouldn’t have to run anymore. Viona turned to Remy to ask if he’d dropped anything when he suddenly put a hand to their mouth. At Viona’s confused and somewhat irritated face, he put a finger to his lips and jerked his head back in the direction they had run from.

* * *

 

“Why are we not chasing after them?” Mantis asked. “Is it because they are going to give us our food items back?”

“No,” Peter replied, “I mean, at least I don’t want them back. They’re all almost spoiled.”

“So why are engaging at all?” Gamora inquired.

“I’m just trying to figure something out. Y’know, be a diplomat. We are the guardians of the galaxy.”

“I wish Ronan had never insulted you with that, ya never shut up about it.” Rocket mumbled.

“Well that’s what we are now.” Peter remarked. “Whether pissy little jerks named Rocket like it or not.”

* * *

 

“Can we get away?” Viona asked, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah, but…” Remy looked down and away to avoid their gaze. “I need you to create a diversion.”

“A diversion? With what? We don’t have anything.” Viona looked at Remy’s ashamed and reluctant face. “Oh. Oh no, I absolutely will not. Under no circumstances―”

“They told us we can in emergencies, didn’t they? Remember?” Remy pressed.

Viona pressed their lips into a hard line. They and Remy were a minority on their planet. Supernatural powers existed in their bloodlines as a result of shamanistic practices in their planet culture, and though they were mostly silent in many those who were found to express them were sent to group homes to keep them under the watchful eye of the government. They had always been told never, under any circumstances except absolute emergencies, should their powers be evoked. But, as Remy suggested, this was definitely becoming a matter of life and death. Possibly. “Fine. But follow my lead.”

* * *

 

“I’m just saying, I think it’s a little strange that all they took was food. Not even all the food. Doesn’t that seem at least a little weird to you?” Peter asked.

“It is a little strange, but it’s still theft.” Gamora replied calmly. “Who knows what they’ll do with Rocket’s plasma blaster―”

“Plasma gun.” Rocket interjected.

“Right, plasma gun.” Gamora repeated. “What if they’re Ravagers?”

“If they were Ravagers they would’ve had those little… what’s it called…” Peter snapped his fingers repeatedly trying to remember.

“I am Groot?” Groot piped in.

“Yes! Thank you! Flame badges.”

Gamora shook her head and rolled her eyes. The group was suddenly stopped when one of the two had come out from the alley with their hands up. Another, hooded figure who appeared to be an old man doubled over from back problems emerged as well and walked in the other direction at a leisurely place.

“Alright, you got me.” Viona said, trying to determine if Remy had made his successful escape. They didn’t dare turn around to try and give him away.

Rocket raised his favorite blaster. “Alright, hand over the plasma gun and maybe nobody gets hurt.”

Peter pushed the gun aside with an underhanded swat, and tapped the device behind his ear again making his helmet fade away. “Stop that.” He whispered harshly. “Listen, we’re not gonna hurt you. We just want to talk.” He held his hands up to try to show his lack of apprehension, mirroring Viona’s stance.

“Y-Yeah, well, I-I’m all for talking.” Viona said, voice shaking. “H-How about we just give you a few thousand units and we forget this ever happened? Okay? Yeah? Yeah!”

“You and I both know that if you were just stealing rotten food that you don’t have any money.” Peter said, taking a few tentative steps toward Viona. “Let’s just put our arms down, take a minute to calm down, and figure out what’s happening here.”

Viona felt a palpable feeling of peacefulness from the stranger. They started to lower their arms when one of his companions shouted there he is! and aimed his gun. Viona immediately pulled the plasma gun from their side holster, shot at the weapon to knock it out of the animal’s hands, and started running off. They caught up with Remy, who had started running as well.

“Damn it, Rocket! What the hell’s wrong with you?” Peter shouted.

“Hey, it’s not my fault they stole from us!” Rocket rubbed his hands. “That really burns…”

When they saw that the group had followed them, Viona quickly turned back and swung their arm from the right to the left, flinging a large dumpster into the street to block their path.

* * *

 

“Where’s the ship?” Viona asked breathlessly.

“Not far,” Remy asked, also breathless, “we’re almost there, I swear.”

* * *

 

Peter and Rocket hit the dumpster first. “How’d that happen?” Rocket asked, annoyed. “Groot, lift me up.” Groot complied, allowing Rocket to look over the dumpster and try to get an eye for where the thieves had gone.

“Someone must’ve… must’ve pushed the dumpster out?” Gamora said.

“Or maybe the dumpster does not want us to pursue them either.” Drax posited.

“I would like to agree with Drax.” Mantis said.

“Well I didn’t want to, but someone doesn’t have any self control!” Peter said, looking up at Rocket.

“You knew this when we met!” Rocket disagreed.

“Can we settle this later and just figure out what’s going on?” Gamora said, frustrated.

* * *

 

Remy and Viona successfully ran to the ship, with Remy tossing the fuel canister to Viona to lighten his load.

“Start the ship.” Viona directed him.

“But you’re still out here!” Remy objected.

“It’s fine! Just go!” Viona shouted.

Remy watched as Viona went around to the back of the ship and waved a hand over the fuel panel to pop it open, without the key, and fling the empty canister out and shove the full one in. He groaned in frustration and sat in the pilot’s console, starting up the ship. The metal pack sat strapped to his chest and settled in his lap while his backpack sat on the floor. He gripped the controls silently hoping for Viona to hurry, just hurry, please. Right as Viona turned to put the panel back in place and climb into the ship slowly, the group managed to catch up with them. Right as Rocket shot at them, Viona raised an arm and at the same time raised a large stone outcropping from the ground to block the shot.

“What? What the hell was that?” Rocket asked.

* * *

 

Viona opened the door of the ship and hopped in, shutting it behind them. Remy safely accelerated the ship’s ascent and they slowly took off.

“Here, take her.” Remy said, leaving the ship on autopilot for a moment while he shimmied the metallic pack off of his arms.

“Yeah, yeah.” Viona took the pack and sat in one of the side seats of the craft, buckling themselves and the pack in safely.

“Are you okay?” Remy asked, taking the helm again. He looked back over his shoulder and tried to meet Viona’s eyes.

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine.”

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” Remy said assuringly. “You didn’t even have to hurt anyone.”

Viona nodded. “I’m just scared.” They said softly.

“I know. I am too.” Remy replied, just as soft. “But we’ll get somewhere safe. I promise.”

* * *

 

The group returned to the Milano and settled into their seats at the controls.

“Now I’m out a whole plasma gun,” Rocket mumbled. “Unbelievable.”

“I don’t think that they’re hostile,” Peter said. “If they were, they would’ve attacked us right off the bat.”

“I agree with Peter.” Drax said flatly. “They would have tried to shoot at us, and I would have crushed them like small bugs.”

“I felt a degree of sadness about them. It permeated the air.” Mantis said meekly. “They are running from a great terror.”

The group was quiet for a moment. Mantis continued.

“They are three.” She said, hoping it would add some kind of clarity to the situation.

“Three?” Gamora asked.

“Yes, the metal pack which they carry seemed to be fostering life.”

“I thought you could only tell if you touched people?” Peter asked.

“Yes, normally I am able to do that. But I have been training myself to detect palpable emotions in the auras of other beings in the hopes that it could help us in our quests.”

Gamora suddenly walked to the mounted panel beside their dining table where bags of chips and dirty plates sat on the surface. She brought up a list of any outlaws that were currently travelling with children. Hopefully, it would give them some insight.

“What are you doing?” Peter asked.

“Maybe if they’re running from something, someone knows who they are.” Gamora replied with urgency, swiping through as many reports as she could find.

After ten minutes of searching, she finally found identification photos of them from The Kyln, a prison they themselves had escaped from.  
First there was Remiel Davix, age 22. His crimes were theft, assault, illegal gambling, and illegal immigration off of his home planet. He had a single red line tattooed down the center of his face, starting at his hairline and stopping just under his chin. He also had a single black line bisecting the red one, crossing over the bridge of his nose from ear to ear.

Next there was Viona Caemron, age 20. Their crimes were theft, illegal use of physical enhancement, illegal immigration off of their home planet, and child endangerment. Viona had the same facial tattoos. When they were processed, they refused to part with the baby that they carried on their back. They wouldn’t give information for the baby, but requested that the three of them be housed together. One of their in-house infractions were listed as homicide and first degree assault and battery.

“Well,” began Rocket, “I guess security at the Kyln’s only gotten worse since we left.”


	2. welcome to the black parade - my chemical romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians learn more about the two thieves they encountered, the package they're carrying, and where they came from. However, here enters Tallon, the principle figure in having driven Remy and Viona from their home planet to begin with.

“Where are they from?” Peter asked, approaching the panel displaying their photos and infractions. “And open the in-house infractions file.”

Gamora pressed further into their files and found very little, assuming they most likely didn’t give that information at in-take or the information had just been lost because of carelessness. “There’s nothing here.”

“What are those lines on their faces?” Peter mumbled.

Drax suddenly appeared behind them and leaned in without speaking, possibly making yet another attempt to become invisible to the naked eye. “They are from a planet called Woltera.” After the initial shock of his sudden presence, he tapped on their photo on the screen and zoomed in. “These facial markings represent age. The red is tattooed at birth, the black at age ten, and another every ten years after that. They are a very peaceful, spiritual people.”

Gamora looked at Viona’s photo thoughtfully. Round brown eyes that looked terrified, but determined. “Why would they be fleeing their home planet if it’s so peaceful?”

“I would not know. I have only heard of Woltera through friends who have traveled there.” Drax clarified.

“We should track them down and find out,” Peter suggested. “Something is obviously going on here that we should be aware of.” 

* * *

 

Tallon sat at the helm of his battleship and stared into the deep, nearly empty abyss displayed through the front window of the ship. He contemplated his next moves, nearing what he viewed as the endgame.

“Sir,” Said Ankeah, a Wolteran who he’d recruited to join his cause, “Sovereign Saerius wishes to speak with you.”

Tallon thought for a moment. Did he even really need him at this point? He had already managed to drive a wedge between he and his family, inevitably throwing the planet into civil war. But more specifically, he destabilized its capital. He had taken the sovereign's ear merely as a third party who had an interest in bringing industry to the planet, who was currently operating at what he viewed as barely surviving, not thriving as a bountiful planet like Woltera should. The ruler’s wife, Matron Iudice, and his son, Prince Yigshe, were firmly against the interloper’s involvement in their planetary affairs. But Talloon continued to insert himself in meetings of royal affairs, day after day and what eventually became months of meddling. The Matron and Prince had finally had enough. They threatened to divide the kingdom lest Tallon and Saerius cease their conspiracy. They declined, quite vocally. And at the end of the day, that was truly the flipped switch that set the whole plan in motion. There was little he needed to do past that. Unless, of course, he was losing leverage.

He raised a hand and brought up the sovereign’s countenance on the window in front of him. “My dear, dear friend,” he said, luring the ruler into a false sense of security as he’d done before, “what can I do for you?”

Saerius gave a weary breath, signalling his growing malaise. “My forces are losing ground. There are barely enough of them to keep guard over what little outposts we have.”

“Are you in need of assistance?” Tallon asked, an air of feigned ignorance permeating his statement. It almost made Ankeah laugh. Almost.

“Is there any way you can deploy some of your men to supplement our forces and keep us until the battle finally turns?” Saerius’s eyes conveyed a certain degree of desperation mixed with regret. He had to constantly remind himself that this was not a mere uprising or fighting against a foreign force. He was going to battle against his wife and son. His youngest daughter, however, nowhere to be found. Often the thought danced across his mind that she had been caught in some form of casualty, yet he dared not let it continue mingle with his thoughts during discussions such as these. He quickly tried to focus on Tallon’s defense proposal to shoo it away.

“So, inevitably, that is what I can do. I can lend out a few hundred of them, but not much more than that.” Tallon said, almost bored with the conversation.

“A few hundred is more than enough,” replied Saerius. “It is generous of you to continue to guide me, even in these times.”

“But of course,” Tallon replied with a slanted grin, “anything for the ruler of such a distinguished people.” The smile fell from his lips. “Yet I fear that there are some who would see to it that distinguishment is washed away.” Saerius seemed confused. “There is a group that lies among your people that are more powerful than the royal family, even more than just you yourself. At the moment, you contain them. Yet the strongest still hides among them.” Tallon stood up to address Saerius with more urgency. “Allow me to visit these areas of containment. I will find the strongest and remove them, dispose of them properly.”

Saerius contemplated it for a moment. Talloon couldn’t be speaking of the Kobolds, could he? Though those born with celestial blessings, as they were called, are rare. Could they really be so powerful as to completely overthrow his family’s position?

“I promise, with the most powerful in my hands, your victory is assured.” Tallon enticed him with the possibility that if he won this “war,” if it could so be called, that he would retain power.

Saerius considered it for a moment. Would his wife and son despise him for subjecting a segment of his own people to an unprovoked search when they remained firmly in line with the Matron and Prince’s stance? However, he could not afford to lose his entire family’s leadership role. Their people needed a leader. “Who shall I bring forward first to be searched?”

* * *

 

Viona and Remy sat together while the ship was set to auto-pilot on course for an outpost to plea for help. Viona slept curled up next to Remy’s side with the metal pack clutched to their chest as if their life depended on it. He reached around their shoulders to pull the hair that had fallen in their face and try to tuck it behind their ear. He fought back an amused chuckle when all it did was fall back into their face again. He took a bejeweled clip from one of the pockets on his backpack and used it to clip their thick, wavy hair back. Viona hated having their hair clipped back, He remembered that from when they were children. But the way their hair framed their face so… perfectly... he just couldn’t resist. Remy had bought the hair clip off of a street vendor before they’d been forced to flee the planet. It was supposed to be a birthday gift, but he guessed he could always get another. When his eyelids began to feel heavy and signal that he, too, was falling victim to what Viona affectionately called “the sleepies,” he was suddenly blinded by bright lights in the window at the front of the ship.

An alert blinked on the communication panel at the left of it before a faceless vocal soundwave said, “You are ordered to cease your travel, prepare to be boarded.”

Remy felt defeated, yet relieved. He held Viona tight in his arms. Maybe they’d violated another planet’s airspace. Maybe someone could help them.

* * *

 

“This voice modifier and cloaking device you made are really cool,” Peter whispered to Rocket, “it actually works!”

“When does anything I make not work?” Asked Rocket, equally as quiet. Groot raised a hand behind him and was quickly hushed with, “Don’t answer that.”

The Milano approached the vessel and linked with it via electromagnetic linkage. A walkway extended from the Milano to the other, much smaller vessel, and the group disembarked their own ship to board this one. Remy was draping his coat over Viona and the pack before he stood up to surrender.

“Alright, we—what the hell do _you_ assholes want?” His tone shifted from compliant to defensive, nearly at the drop of a hat, upon seeing these were the strangers chasing them earlier and not any form of police or guard.

“Listen, we just want to help.” Peter said softly. “If you come with us, we’ll get this all sorted out. No guns, no blame, just words.”

Remy’s eyes shifted from the strangers to the still sleeping Viona. He decided there was no other option for them to choose.

“Fine. But someone has to carry Viona, they’re a pretty deep sleeper.” Remy managed to pry the metal pack from their arms and strap it to his front, slinging his backpack onto his back. He figured that if they were willing to comply with and successfully complete such an innocuous task, that he could at least trust them a little bit.

Groot obliged, gently extending his branches and lifting Viona and Remy’s coat with care, and slowly making his way back to the Milano.

“Thanks.” Remy said, slightly less apprehensive.

“I am Groot.” Groot replied with a nod.

Remy gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, they really don’t. They’re just short.” He followed Groot onto the walkway and kept a close eye on Viona in his arms, still sleeping peacefully.

“... He speaks Groot?” Gamora asked Drax.

Drax nodded, passing by her and Peter. “Yes, nearly all Wolterans speak Groot, especially those dedicated to their ancestors’ spiritual tradition. They can commune with anywhere to five to hundreds of different flora or fauna tongues.”

Peter made a hum of pleasant surprise. “Well. Isn’t that neat?”

Once on board the Milano, Viona was gingerly placed on top of a cot someplace near a more hidden corner of the ship. Groot tried not to stomp too loudly for fear he may wake them. Rocket, however, quietly snuck over and took the plasma gun from the holster around their waist.

Peter and Gamora sat Remy down at the dining table, still covered with snack food bags and dirty plates. “Alright,” said Peter, “what’s in the… metal cocoon? Is it a bomb? You two are pretty keen on protecting it.”

Remy reared back with a contorted, confused face. “What? No. Why would it—it’s not a bomb.”

“Then what is it?”

Remy rolled his eyes, and set the pack on the table. He withdrew a key from his pocket and inserted it in a keyhole in the front. The pack opened to a room strained with curiosity and mild fear. They were surprised when Remy picked up a sleeping baby, bearing the same red facial tattoo he had. When the baby fussed and Remy quietly, gently shushed them he was most displeased to hear a rousing snort from the next room. Viona came stumbling out, rubbing their eye vigorously.

“What’s happening…” They slurred in their barely awake state.

“Nothing, go back to sleep.” Remy said with firm reassurance.

“I heard Aurielle…” Viona pushed past still blurry figures and walked over to Remy. “Is she okay?” Their lips curled upward ever so slightly when the baby closed her small chubby hand around their finger.

“Is… is this your baby?” Peter asked, voice audibly strained.

“Yes.” Viona answered softly. They narrowed their eyes, if they were even open enough to be narrowed, when Remy gave a tsk of disagreement.

“She’s not. We were told to protect her. Aurielle is the Sovereign and the Matron’s baby, their youngest.” He replied.

“We have to protect her, that makes her ours.” Viona weakly protested.

“Well right now she’s mine, because you’re exhausted. Go back to sleep,” Remy murmured, “I can’t be taking care of two sleepy logs.” He smirked, bemused, when Viona whined and tried to push his shoulder, mumbling for him to shut up.

“So why’d they let you keep her in The Kyln if she ain’t yours?” Rocket asked, hopping on the table and trying to get his hands on the metal pack. His small hands were stalled, effectively frozen, when Viona extended a hand outward and held their body with extreme tension.

“Don’t.” They said with great severity. “I killed the last man who even came close.”

Rocket visibly and audibly gulped. “Alright, alright!” He crossed his arms in indignance when Viona let them out of their invisible grasp. “At least I got my plasma gun back.”

Viona slumped back, sitting in the chair next to Remy’s and taking a deep exhale of relief.

“You said you killed the last man who tried to come near your baby,” Gamora said, “how did you do that? Did you do it in The Kyln?”

Viona avoided Gamora’s gaze. They wrought their hands along their hands along the edge of their top, woven with ganel fibers from Wolteran grain fields. “I didn’t mean to,” they admitted, “he just… I heard him say if he ever got his hands on her he’d… he’d sell her off to the guards for a ticket out.” They shook their head, “It didn’t even make sense because what would a guard do with a baby, but when I saw him come near her in the mess hall I just… I just went crazy.”

“What’d ya do? Stab him?” Rocket asked nonchalantly.

“I don’t think you want to hear it.” Remy said honestly.

“Well that just makes me want to hear it more.” Rocket said proudly. “Come on, kid.”

Viona put their face in their hands. “I-I ripped him in half.”

“ _You ripped him in half?_ ” Peter burst out incredulously.

“I didn’t mean to!” Viona said tiredly, trying to raise their voice but barely being able to do so. “I didn’t mean to...” They said, slumping forward and putting their head on their arms on top of the cool surface of the dining table.

“It’s true, they really didn’t. Sometimes… they can’t control it.” Remy chewed the inside of his cheek absentmindedly.

“Control what? The kind of unbridled rage that it takes to rip a man in half?” Rocket tossed out sardonically.

“No, no. Viona and I have what’s called these ‘celestial blessings,’ I guess you’d call them ‘superpowers?’ Not all Wolterans have them, it’s very rare,” Remy explained, “Viona can control things with their mind and I can change forms.”

“So _that’s_ why that old man came out from that alley.” Peter said in astonishment.

Viona stirred uncomfortably and Remy protested. Mantis put a hand to their exposed upper arms. “Sleep, with peace.” She said softly. Viona settled into yet another deep sleep. “They feel a heavy burden on their heart,” she stated plainly, “they feel too much love for their home to leave but duty to keep going. They are torn.”

Remy let out a breath of relief. He knew Viona wanted to keep going on, restless as they were since they’d left with Remy, but he knew they could only keep themself going for only so long. He sat down next to Viona and held Aurielle in his arms, chewing on the inside of his cheek again in thought. Peter sat down at an empty seat beside him, offering to take Aurielle from him if only for a moment. He considered it, and then looked at Viona’s sleeping form. Would they approve of a stranger holding the baby they were tasked to protect? He gave Peter a nod, and then carefully passed Aurielle into his arms. The baby squirmed uncomfortably, but eventually settled.

“Have you fed her?” He asked softly.

Remy shook his head. “Not since we stole that spaceship to leave The Kyln. Viona said that as soon as we got some food that was our top priority.”

“You have food now,” the older man reminded him.

“Yeah.” Remy replied absently, as though he were in a fog. “Yeah, I’ll make something right now.” He shook his head to clear his mind for a moment, and then took his backpack to their small kitchen area. Gamora and Drax followed.


	3. strawberries & cigarettes - troye sivan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viona and Remy hit a snag in their partnership. Tallon and Ankeah proceed to close in.

Tallon paced his sleeping chambers. On Woltera, he was afforded a small home off of one of the main outposts belonging to Saerius. It wasn’t much in the way of  _ home _ , but it would have to do for now.

Ankeah entered the small residence and shut the door quietly behind them. 

“Ah, Ankeah, how did you do alerting the people of my search?” Tallon asked with a hint of pride that his plan would be coming to fruition in a short time. 

“They are unwilling, but with the explicit permission of the Sovereign they will be begrudgingly compliant.” 

Tallon gave a wry, dark chuckle. “I knew keeping that old man around would do me some good.” 

Ankeah watched as Tallon walked over to his vanity and closet, beginning to dress down for the evening. They stood in silence for a brief moment before finally expressing a matter that had been pressing on their mind. “You’re not going to find them here.”

Tallon gave pause. He looked to Ankeah in their reflection over his shoulder in the mirror. “You dare question my methods?”

“Not at all,” they replied coolly, “I am merely saying that you will not find the one you are looking for in any of these homes. They left quite some time ago.”

He turned and stood with an intimidating stance and his anger slowly coming to a boil. “On whose authority do you possess this information? Are you trying to sabotage me?”

“Absolutely not. But I  _ am _ saying that it would benefit our movement were you to give consideration to the idea that you may not find them.” 

While Tallon stood in front of the vanity and stewed over this tidbit, Ankeah stood by and let their mind wander. They knew that Tallon would be looking for Viona. The elders in their home village had heralded this birth under the sea goat stars and sun as one that was one in a million. Ankeah and Viona had grown up together in that village. They regarded each other as equals, friends―best friends. But in their fifteenth and sixteenth years, something had changed. They had seen the fall of the old kingdom and the rise of the new royal family. While there had been warring territories in the past, the new reigning entities had put an end to it by implementing diplomacy tactics; many of these involved compromising on trade and borders. Ankeah lamented at the state of these affairs, constantly positing that these compromises erased key differences in territories and that the only way for them to truly settle things was to go to battle and see who the true victor came out to be. Viona took a different stance, believing that the small planet being at peace was the state that Woltera should always be in; indeed, they believed that war was not always the answer. Though this disagreement often caused them to butt heads it did not diminish their friendship. Not until Tallon made an appearance. When the planet had descended into chaos and Viona was set to escape the planet with Remy and the infant princess Viona had begged Ankeah to come with them. But Ankeah had made a solemn choice to follow the path that Tallon had set for Woltera. Remy’s panicked exit and him subsequently getting them caught up in it had separated them. Truthfully, Ankeah had no idea where Viona was. But they knew that they, Remy, and the child they protected were nowhere to be found on Woltera, not even in the deepest forest or the darkest cave.

* * *

 

Remy and Viona were awkwardly shuffled to Gamora’s bedroom holding a bowl of mashed vegetables and some water to give them a more proper place to rest on the ship. Remy held Aurielle with care while Viona tried to get situated on the bed. Viona took a spoon to hold up to Aurielle and held it gently while she ate off of it. 

“How are we going to sleep?” Remy asked. He was suddenly very flustered with Viona being so close to him while awake. 

“... Together?” Viona asked, confused. “I mean, there  _ is _ only one bed. You’re not going to sleep on the floor.” They spooned more of the vegetable slurry for Aurielle and held it up to her lips. Remy looked away while Viona looked up at him, trying to evade the statement. “Remy, you are  _ not _ sleeping on the floor.” 

“I slept on the floor on our last ship.” He objected. 

“And who’s the one who had to straighten your back out when you did? It wasn’t you,” Viona pressed her thumb to Aurielle’s rosy cheek to swipe away some of the excess mess. 

Remy pursed his lips and pouted in mock offense. “I said I was sorry.” 

Viona laughed, albeit very tiredly. Remy watched as Viona delicately cleaned Aurielle’s face and made cutesy baby talk with her. There was something undeniably soft inside Remy when it came to Viona. He hadn’t been as close of friends with them as they had been with Ankeah, but something about the two of them had just seemed to click together. They had met Viona was on the cusp of their nineteenth year and Remy had already tipped into his twentieth. Having lived in one of the more remote forests of Woltera he hadn’t had much interaction with how these small communities to foster those with celestial blessings were supposed to work. He didn’t appreciate being suddenly thrust into it just because of the new regime’s decree of mandatory censuses. Remy had moved into the room next to Viona’s in the small shared hom; meant for those with the blessings who were older and in need of less direction. They didn’t speak to each other for a few days, almost weeks, until they had been walking home from the market and someone had attacked Remy. They called him  _ lowlife _ , as though this space in society wasn’t meant for him. Viona tried to yell at them until they began to throw stones, with very few managing to land hits. Viona used their telekinetic powers to flick the stones back in their direction and nearly landing each and every one. When one of the assailants stubbornly stuck around and tried to confront Viona, they tackled him to the ground and started to land punches on him instead. Eventually he gave up and ran off, leaving Remy to stare at Viona with confusion and awe. Few people had ever done that for him, and Viona didn’t even really know him. Though they weren’t terribly close after that either, it made Remy feel inexplicably… safe around Viona. Those memories came back in vignettes when he saw them interact with Aurielle. This little baby wasn’t even really theirs, not in his mind, but Viona was willing to protect her with their life. He was knocked from his daydreams when he felt Viona’s skin make contact with his.

Viona pressed the pad of their finger to his temple and tilted their head to the side curiously. “What’s going on up here?” 

“Ah, it’s nothing.” Remy shook it off as though it really were nothing. 

Viona slanted their mouth and rapt their fingers on their thigh, then gave a slight nod. “Alright.” 

“What? I’m telling the truth,” Remy answered defensively. 

“I didn’t say anything.” Viona replied quietly. They tossed a somewhat clean towel, generously gifted to them by Drax, over Remy’s shoulder. “I’m going to go put these back down in the kitchen.” As Viona got up to walk away, Remy couldn’t help but think that maybe his forced distance was a little bit uncalled for. Viona was only trying to keep them together until they found someplace safe to settle. He held Aurielle to his shoulder and patted her back tenderly, once again lost in thought. 

Viona’s attitude was bittersweet. Truthfully, Remy didn’t really  _ need _ to want to be close to them. They just evacuated together. He didn’t have to like them. He at least had to feel  _ some _ affinity for them, though. Why else would he have stayed with them this long? He definitely would’ve jumped ship, quite literally, at the first opportunity if he didn’t at least want to help them. Remy confused Viona. He very frequently confused them. Sometimes he would afford them insight into the thoughts he kept guarded so closely, and other times he would clam up and avoid them. Viona’s frustration hit a peak and collapsed in acceptance. If Remy wanted to keep barriers between them, that would be fine. Viona just wouldn’t try to climb over them to get closer to him. Maybe this was a sign that, for whatever reason, Viona felt something mushy and complex for Remy. In the past, he was always the first to comfort Viona when they were especially scared of something they had done with their powers or if they were just generally overwhelmed. He didn’t expect Viona to be a tough, fearsome predator. He just expected Viona to  _ be _ . Remy had always told them that powers like his and theirs were a difficult burden to carry, and that they didn’t have to wait until they crumbled under it to ask for help. He would be there for them. The pattern of hot and cold didn’t start until recently, not until they had to start taking care of Aurielle. Prince Yigshe had come to their door in the middle of the night wearing thick, billowy robes to conceal his identity. He bequeathed guard over his baby sister to Remy and Viona after he expressed concern over his parents’ continued political squabbling. He also gave them keys to a ship, a map, and supplies to tide them over for a short time should an emergency arise where they would have to evacuate. Viona couldn’t understand why Remy started to become nervous about sharing rooms if this wasn’t truly their child. Maybe it had to do with Woltera’s culture of child rearing; in that, even if they weren’t officially partnered two people parenting a child were considered to be so of common law. Viona felt their heart drop in their chest. Were they really so terrifying, deep down, that Remy wouldn’t even want to be considered attached to them past acquaintances? They felt a swirling of guilt and sadness rising up in their belly. It wasn’t until they heard a near soundless  _ plop _ into the water of the sink on top of all the dirty dishes that they realized they’d been crying. Viona tried to dry their tears as best they could and patted a cold, wet dish towel on their face to hide the redness. 

While the lights lowered in Gamora’s bedroom, Remy laid down in bed with Aurielle at his side. She squirmed uncomfortably and started to fuss again. 

“What’s wrong? You’re not tired?” Remy whispered. Aurielle started to twist her face, and Remy feared she might cry. “No, no, no. Don’t cry, please…” Remy couldn’t think of anything to do past making stupid faces. “See? Look at this,” He crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at a strange angle while making an  _ ahhh _ sound, which seemed to be enough to sate her. “You like that? Watch this,” Remy blinked and his eyes were blue and green, and his tongue was long and thin with a fork at the end. He leaned down and flicked the tongue over Aurielle’s cheek to tickle her, and it made her laugh. Remy laughed too, accidentally revealing the sharp teeth he had a habit of forming when he tried to make a serpent’s tongue. Aurielle laughed even more. “Do scary things make you laugh?” Remy withdrew the tongue and covered his face with both hands before pulling them away and revealing a snarling face with strangely colored eyes. Aurielle laughed even more. 

Viona started to laugh from the door and Remy immediately turned to them. His face reverted back to normal and he tried to sit himself up and look presentable in a moment of embarrassment. He looked back and Viona and tried to explain but was met with their slightly swollen under eyes and rosy, splotchy cheeks. His heart sank. Did his brushing them off really make them cry? Viona walked toward the bed before toeing off their shoes and gently running the back of their hand across Aurielle’s cheek. He tried to speak, but Viona beat him to it. 

“I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be right back.” They said softly. Viona looked in the closet and found a large towel, which Gamora gave them license to use, before holding themselves up in the small ensuite bathroom. 

Remy acquiesced. He figured that maybe Viona just needed some space. That was okay. He sat up and picked up a soft, but weighty object. In his hand it felt like a pair of socks tied together. He tossed it at the light switch and successfully managed to turn the lights off. While he listened to the hot water run from behind the bathroom door, he successfully managed to doze off with his hand grasping Aurielle’s and hoping Viona wasn’t too upset with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little bit shorter, just because i feel like where it ended was a good stopping point for chapter 3.


	4. destroyer - monsta x

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tallon and Ankeah finally manage to catch up with Remy and Viona, much to the Guardian's objection, but Peter will do anything it takes to protect them.

 

Tallon furiously slammed the door to his domicile shut. He couldn’t  _ believe _ that Ankeah was right. Neither Remiel nor Viona could be found anywhere on the planet. The thought that maybe they were hiding something had crossed his mind, but really what did they  _ have _ to hide? These spiritual folk were village or jungle dwellers. They had little to no sway with the monarchy; indeed, if they really knew where the two were they would have given them up already. But where had they gone? 

“Maybe Saerius knows where they are.” Ankeah said, soundlessly entering after Tallon’s abrupt entrance. “Or his wife and eldest son.”

Tallon mulled it over while he sat on his uncomfortable cot. His interference had truly taken such root within the family that even the royal family’s next-in-line had conspired against his own father. It was both a blessing and a curse. 

“Gather the sentry,” he commanded, “we’re going directly to the castle.”

* * *

 

“I’m telling you, we staged  _ no _ evacuation of  _ any _ of our inhabitants! I would have known about it!” 

“And  _ I’m _ telling  _ you _ that there were no traces of either of the two I was looking for,” Tallon responded gruffly, “and I think we know who’s responsible.” 

Saerius furrowed his brows and looked at Tallon with grave confusion. He allowed his mind to jump from person to person in his mind before letting his back hit the throne. “No.”

“Oh, I think so.” Ankeah responded, standing a few steps back from Tallon. “Bring them in.” They gestured to the sentry standing by the door, who opened it and allowed two more to come in. 

They ushered in Matron Iudice and Prince Yigshe who were unceremoniously thrust into the room, with Yigshe nearly landing with his palms flat on the stone ground. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Shouted Iudice. “What is this  _ interloper _ doing in our throne room?”

“Did you evacuate two of the boarders in Camp 42?” Saerius answered, completely dismissing his wife’s outrage. 

“What are you talking about? What evacuation?”

“Did you, or did you not, evacuate two of the boarders in Camp 42?”

“No! What reason would I have to―”

Yigshe stepped forward. “I did.” 

“You did  _ what _ ?” Saerius boomed. He stood from his throne and glowered down at his son. “For what reason?”

“Because I knew that Tallon would kill them.” Yigshe answered simply. “You’re a fool, Father, to follow this charlatan into battle! Who is he to tell us what to do with our planet? He is a bastard warmonger who profits off of the spilled blood of entire worlds! He is a fraud!” 

“Silence!” Tallon cried out. “He speaks lies! My interests are in the well being of your kingdom, dear Sovereign, and I would do no such thing as to jeopardize it!” 

Saerius sat back on the throne. His wife had not betrayed him, but his son. His eldest child, next in line to take the throne before his baby sister Aurielle. There was no way. And yet here he sat in front of his family and who he thought were his new political confidants, watching his son confess to treason. It was a shame, really. He would have made a strong leader.

“Take him to the dungeon. Do not release him without my knowledge.” 

Several guards quickly advanced on Yigshe. He did not resist. He knew this would be coming. Iudice was in shock. She stared Saerius down, then her steely gray eyes flicked to Tallon and Ankeah. Saerius rose from his throne and stepped down the stairs to appeal to his wife’s sense of greater good. 

“Iudice, my love, my one and only Queen.” He began. “There is no other way than to take direction from Tallon. You must understand―”

“You have imprisoned our son, the closest heir to the throne, for saving two of his charges. Something what you taught him to do. You have allowed this murderer to be parlay to our affairs and now you have split our kingdom. I am Queen to Woltera,  _ not _ to one man.” Iudice gathered her skirts and turned on her heel to leave the palace. She did not look back.

Saerius was breathless. His wife, the mother of his children and queen of his entire world, was gone. 

“I hazard you to lend me a cruiser and allow me to go after them.” Called Tallon, currently sitting in the king’s throne. “It would only serve to benefit you to further implicate your son in this treasonous evacuation.”

“Anything.” Saerius answered, perhaps just a bit too quickly. “My entire palace is at your disposal.”

Tallon gave a slanted grin. “I will do my best, dear Sovereign.” 

* * *

 

Remy sat near the helm of the  _ Milano _ trying to get Aurielle to fall asleep for a nap. He wondered if Viona was awake. He hoped they were. Peter approached from behind and sat down in the chair beside him. 

“So, how’s the little one?”

“She’s fine.” Remy replied quietly. “I’m trying to get her to sleep.”

“If only she was like Viona, huh? It’s been like three hours since we all got up and they’re still asleep.” 

Remy shrugged slightly and nodded. “Yeah, well, they always let me sleep instead. I don’t want to wake them up.”

“You’ve got something on your mind,” Peter relaxed into the seat, “tell me about it.”

“I think that I might’ve… ticked them off, a bit.” Remy replied honestly. He saw no reason to lie when these strangers were trying to help them.

“Oh yeah? How?”

“I’m worried. I’m worried about them, this baby, us, our home… but I don’t want to tell them. I can’t tell them. What are they going to think of me if I can’t even keep it together while we’re trying to find someplace safe? They’ll just… they’ll just drop me.” 

Peter understood. With his own small found family, he often felt as though he needed to keep his head together more than anyone else. He was hesitant even to share his deepest thoughts with Gamora, the person closer to him than anyone in the galaxy. At least anyone living. But he knew that the false sense of stability never lasted long. Often he snapped at the most crucial of moments and caused his teammates more trouble than what he saved them. He felt that Remy might be going through the same thing.

“Listen, kid, you are going through the hardest thing someone can go through. You were forced to leave your home―the only place you’ve ever known―at a moment’s notice so that you, Viona, and this little baby could be safe. It’s okay to say that. It  _ is _ hard. You don’t have to keep it all bottled up in there.” He tapped Remy’s temple, just as Viona did. “If you’re not careful, it’ll rot your brain.” He offered his open arms to Remy. “So why don’t you let me take this little wonder off your hands, and you go talk it out.” 

Remy thought over Peter’s words. On one hand, it was easy for Peter to make inferences about the situation. But on the other, he was absolutely right. All Viona wanted to do was help him and he kept pushing them away because he was afraid of falling apart, of not being strong enough for them. But he was letting them carry too much of the weight. It was his turn to be vulnerable. He tried to slowly pass Aurielle to Peter before the ship was jostled to the extreme. He clung to her and immediately his anxiety went through the roof. 

“What the hell was that?” 

“I don’t know, but you get upstairs and we’ll figure it out.” Peter got up and tried to gather the others. “What’s happening?”

Remy passed behind him and managed to grab Aurielle’s cryogenic carrier and get up to Gamora’s room and try to alert Viona. They were already awake and hurrying around the room to gather their things.

“Remy―”

“Viona―”

“You first.” 

“No, you first.”

“What the hell is happening? I-I was asleep and then-and then all of a sudden the whole ship just-just―”

“I don’t know, but we need to just keep calm and―”

There was another blast against the ship. Viona managed to steady Remy and Aurielle mid-fall with their arms outstretched and their telekinetic ability keeping his suspended, still clutching the baby. They slowly brought him back to standing position and took the baby from his arms. 

“Hey, little one. You’ve gotta take a big long nap, okay? Can you do that for us?” Viona nodded toward the bed and allowed Remy to place the carrier down and open it. “I promise you’ll be safe. Okay? We’ll keep you safe.” They laid Aurielle down as gently as they could and closed the lid of the carrier around her, turning the device on and lulling the baby into a gentle sleep. 

Viona sat on the bed, turned the lights off, and held the cryogenic pack close to their chest. Remy locked the door and joined them. He embraced them and rested his cheek on the top of their head. 

* * *

 

Peter and Gamora tried to figure out who could be attacking and where they had come from. They scrambled for the controls of the ship while Rocket and Drax got into position as well. 

“That is a Wolteran war ship! But they are usually in greater numbers, I wonder why there is just the one all the way out here.” Commented Drax.

The ship hovered in front of the  _ Milano _ halting it’s movement away from any onslaught of attack.

“Peter Quill!” A panel appeared on the front viewport of the ship. “You will relinquish the two criminals you have in your custody at once, by order of the Wolteran royal guard!”

“Well first, you’re gonna tell us why I’m doing that.” Peter demanded.

“The policy for illegal immigration off of Woltera as it stands is repatriation. They must be returned to the planet’s courts at once!” 

“See, and what I think is that you’ve been looking for these two for quite a while and that you’ll do any kind of fear mongering to get to them.” He seat back in the center chair, the main command console. “And I think that I’m not gonna be giving them up anytime soon. Who’s to say that they’re even on this ship?”

“The child they carry with them is protected by a Wolteran cryogenic device, microchipped with tracking information. They are on your ship and they will be handed over immediately.” 

Peter sighed. Gamora leaned in and tried to speak in hushed tones. “Don’t give into them, Peter.”

“Oh, I’m not.” Peter answered back. “They’re not getting a click closer.”

“Non-compliance will result in immediate firing.” The booming voice replied.

“See, the thing about that is―” Peter gripped the ignition lever tight and pushed to near full speed as he wrenched the steering module to the left, effectively turning the ship around and speeding off. 

“What are you doing?” Gamora shouted, trying to strap into the chair’s safety belts. 

“Doing the only thing I know how to do, cause a distraction!” 

* * *

 

“What a fool,” Tallon commented, “he thinks we won’t chase after him.”

“I think that’s exactly what he wants.” Ankeah took control of a side module to control weapons and thrusters, preparing for a firefight.

“How do you intend to get them to come peacefully?”

“Viona and Remiel are not the type to go peacefully. But they will go, I’ll make sure of it.” 

* * *

 

Remy held tightly onto Viona and tried to keep them calm. They clutched the metal pack in their arms, trying to put the situation out of their mind. 

“Remy,” Viona whispered, “Remy.’

“Viona.” He answered softly. 

“If… If they get to us,” Viona took a shuddering breath to steady their nerves, “If they get to us, you take Aurielle and let me go.” 

“What? No! I’m not―” Remy’s objection was interrupted when a blast hit the side of the ship, nearly knocking them to the floor. “I’m not letting you go with them.”

Viona took on a serious tone, and tried to level with him. “If I don’t go with them, they’ll kill you. They don’t want you or Aurielle. They want me.” 

Another blast rocked the ship, throwing them to the side against the hard wall. Remy was breathless. As he tried to get his bearings once again, he peered out the window and saw a large, stable-looking asteroid with big enough craters for the ship to be hidden in. 

“Stay here.”

“Where are you going?”

“There’s an asteroid out there. We can hide. Just stay here, I’ll tell Peter.” Remy got up and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

He was tossed from side to side when a few more blasts hit the ship but ultimately managed to get to the cockpit of the ship in time. He was tossed forward onto the back of Peter’s chair and started to point to the passing asteroid before his voice found him.

“Is there somethin’ on your mind, kid? We’re a little busy here!” Rocket called out.

“Asteroid.” Remy finally said. “Get to the asteroid. It’s got craters to hide in.”

“Good lookin’ out, it’s stable enough to land in and enough caverns to hide in.” Peter commented, immediately steering once again.

The  _ Milano _ hit a few ridges and minor asteroids on the way in but eventually managed to fit into a small crevice and effectively hide themselves. Viona finally emerged from the room now that movement on the ship had ceased, and Remy took the metal pack from them. They looked out into the dark abyss and reached for Remy’s hand. It seemed that they had managed to evade them for now. After a wingbeat of silence, a boisterous blast shot a new crater out of the asteroid. Before they could react a secondary blaster cracked a hole in the windshield. Viona tried to keep the glass from blowing inward by shielding the others with their telekinetic powers. 

“Boarders of Camp 42,” Tallon’s voice rang through the echoing cavern of the hollow asteroid, “you will comply with the repatriation order or your companions will be shot on sight.” 

Viona stayed silent. They could not comply and let their friends, Remy, and Aurielle be killed or they could comply and face several counts of treason in the high court. They felt Remy’s eyes boring into the back of their head and begging them not to go. 

Viona looked into the viewport of the opposing Wolteran ship and squared their posture. Their voice shook at first but eventually found root. “Born under the ascending centaur, the twin fish moon, and the sea goat sun. My name is Viona Caemron  _ and I am not afraid of you! _ ” 

They threw out a fist and managed to push the ship back out of the hole it had blown through the rock. It had also shattered the glass of the viewport as well as several ridges of rock, throwing dust and glass everywhere. Ankeah seized the opportunity of the glass, causing everyone to shield themselves, to pick up an electric blaster and shoot at Viona to incapacitate them. They then took a spare hose and quickly tied it around their waist, then tried to take a running leap through the blown out view port to land on the  _ Milano _ ’s front deck. Remy tried to get up and grab Viona before Ankeah could abscond with them but earned a swift elbow to the nose. Ankeah quickly jumped back over the rift with Viona over their shoulder. Viona weakly reached out to grab Remy’s arm. But as Remy found their deep brown eyes and reached out, he could only catch their fingertips before they were out of his reach. He knew he couldn’t jump with Aurielle strapped to his back. Ankeah and Tallon retreated to a rear portion of the ship, which separated from the front quarter, and pulled away into the inky blackness of space. Remy fell to his knees and felt his breath fade. Viona was gone, possibly, for good. 


End file.
